https://jalopnik.com/the-audi-e-tron-isnt-exactly-a-mega-hit-yet-1840029823 The Audi E-Tron Isn't Exactly A Mega-Hit Yet Nov. 25, 2019 Erik Shilling
[image https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/c_scale,f_auto,fl_progressive,q_80,w_1600/xogqgjjykdxcnucxppk9.png Illustration for article titled The Audi E-Tron Isnt Exactly A Mega-Hit Yet ] Audi’s E-Tron is struggling ... 1st Gear: Roger Penske Thinks The E-Tron Is Being Held Back By ‘Sticker Shock’ The Audi E-Tron is the German marque’s first real entry into the market for electric cars. It’s how Audi dips its toes into the market, along with Jaguar (I-Pace), Ford (Mustang Mach-E), Mercedes (upcoming EQ line) and other automakers that have been in the market for a while, like Tesla, Chevrolet, Hyundai and more. As such, the E-Tron is something of a test case for Audi—a test that dealer magnate Roger Penske says isn’t going well so far. Sticker shock is to blame in part, Penske says—the E-Tron starts at $74,800. Per Automotive News: Electric vehicles “have not had the lift that (the industry) expected,” Roger Penske, CEO of Penske Automotive Group, told analysts last month on an earnings call, specifically calling out the Audi e-tron’s slow retail start. Penske said there had been “significant cancellations” of e-tron preorders, and the main issue was affordability. “I think there is some sticker shock. The customers that thought these would be more affordable, like a Q5. But when you’re looking at an $80,000 vehicle in a $1,500 payment, it gets — it’s really aggressive from the OEM standpoint,” Penske said. I’m not quite sure Penske is correct in saying that the industry expected a “lift” from cars like the E-Tron, but he’s right in pointing out that sales so far have been tepid. Automotive News says that just over 4,000 E-Tron’s have been sold so far, but, again, I’d be surprised if Audi expected huge numbers from it. Naturally, Audi says it’s happy with the state of things: Speaking to Automotive News at the show, new Audi of America President Daniel Weissland said the brand is “still at the beginning of a transformational phase into electrification” and asked for patience. “I think we’re pretty happy with our (e-tron) sales numbers,” Weissland said. “November is the strongest month ever now on e-tron sales, so we really see a tick up. The question is always, ‘What do you compare it with?’ You can’t compare the e-tron with a car which is $20,000 or $30,000 less expensive.” Luxury electric vehicles like the E-Tron are better understood as placeholders, as companies like Audi, Jaguar, and Mercedes seek to keep up with changing technologies while also continuing to churn out their bread-and-butter, which will remain internal-combustion engined cars for the foreseeable future. And a part of me thinks those companies would be happy to do that forever if it weren’t for pesky government regulations. In any case, you should drive a battery-electric car if you get a chance. If you’ve never done it, I promise the torque will surprise you, even on a Leaf. [© jalopnik.com] https://www.autonews.com/sales/penske-audi-e-trons-slow-start-worrisome Roger Penske: Audi E-tron's slow start worrisome Nov 25, 2019 - LOS ANGELES — Since it went on sale in April, the Audi e-tron — the first EV from Volkswagen Group's premium brand and the tip of the spear ... (subscription) http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/template/NamlServlet.jtp?macro=search_page&node=413529&query=E-Tron+turd&days=0 search evdl on E-Tron turd + https://www.thethings.com/bmws-upcoming-i4-electric-car-will-be-more-powerful-than-the-m3/ BMW's Upcoming i4 Electric Car Will Be More Powerful Than The M3 NOV 24, 2019 Details are still scarce but Road/Show has some early specs and expectations for the i4, one of twenty five all or partially electric cars scheduled to come out of ... https://static0.thethingsimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/10-1-e1574611959651.jpeg For EVLN EV-newswire posts use: http://www.evdl.org/archive/ {brucedp.neocities.org} -- Sent from: http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/ _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub ARCHIVE: http://www.evdl.org/archive/index.html INFO: http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org Please discuss EV drag racing at NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
